GREEN LANTERN Artist Ethan Van Sciver Goes Nuclear on LANTERNS, Says “You Failed… All Of You Should Be Ashamed”
Well, this is one Green Lantern review that isn’t glowing. Veteran Green Lantern artist Ethan Van Sciver has finally weighed in on DC Studios and HBO’s Lanterns, and he absolutely hated it.
The artist, who helped reshape the Green Lantern mythology with Geoff Johns during the mid-2000s return of Hal Jordan, called the series a “profound failure” and unloaded on just about every major creative choice the show made.
Van Sciver has become a pretty divisive figure over the years because of his outspoken takes on social and political issues in entertainment, but his connection to Green Lantern comics is a big one.
His work with Johns played a major role in bringing Hal Jordan back to the DC Universe and reigniting the franchise for a new generation of fans.
So whether people agree with him or not, he does have a real history with these characters.
Interestingly, Grant Morrison was also critical of Lanterns early on, though later episodes reportedly started to win him over.
We still haven’t heard what Morrison thought of the finale. Van Sciver, meanwhile, held off on giving his full review until he finished the entire season.
He admitted that he initially “loved” watching the show, even while keeping in mind the “budgetary constraints and limits” the series may have been working under.
But after sticking with Lanterns week after week, his final verdict came down to two words: “You failed.”
Van Sciver said, “It shouldn’t have been hard to drag these characters through the hell you put them through and have them come out better for it by episode eight, but instead you tarnished and destroyed them. All of them. Even the Manhunters are reduced by this show.”
He didn’t stop there. “John is a selfish, villainous asshole. Kerry is a monstrously stupid and cowardly murderer, the Guardians are either weird schemers or absent entirely, Guy is a pussy, and Hal… why did you need to murder him in such a hollow and meaningless, deeply depressing and sick way?”
“There is something deeply wrong with your entire writing room,” he continued. “I cannot believe James Gunn of [Guardians of the Galaxy] fame could allow this sick nightmare to coexist with his typically fun superhero films. All of you should be ashamed for this profound failure. “
Van Sciver also agreed with fans who believe the creative team behind Lanterns hated Hal Jordan.
He said their “mental illness” caused them to “destroy the terrific John Stewart, too. In trying to demote Hal, you killed John’s decency, loyalty and his soul.”
His final score was brutal: “1/10 stars,” the artist declared, “Pure evil, but Kyle Chandler was a revelation. Bless him.”
That’s about as scorched-earth as a review gets.
Some fans will brush off Van Sciver’s take because of his past controversies, but it also lines up with a lot of frustration that’s been floating around the Green Lantern fanbase.
The biggest complaint seems to be that Lanterns took characters known for cosmic adventure, willpower, heroism, and strange sci-fi mythology, then dragged them into something far more grim and earthbound without giving them much to rise toward.
I actually really enjoyed Lanterns and the story it told, but I can see and understand why the comic artist feels this way.
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and legendary Green Lantern Hal Jordan as two intergalactic cops pulled into a dark murder mystery set in the American heartland.
The series stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, with Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones rounding out the cast.
Lanterns is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max. Whether you loved it, hated it, or watched the whole thing while yelling at your screen, Van Sciver’s review just tossed a giant green construct-shaped grenade into the conversation.